City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age by P.D. Smith - Book Report/Review Example

City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age P.D. Smith is the author of the book, City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age. Other than this book, Smith also authored three other books. Doomsday Men was the first cultural history of science publication he wrote. He wrote a short bibliography on Einstein in addition to a longer survey of science in German literature, Metaphor and Materiality. Currently, the author is working on his fifth book entitled watching the Detectives. Smith writes fiction too, but these fictitious creations are yet to be published. Smith’s authorship started with images as a photographer rather than language. After doing a number of fascinating reviews for the Guardian and other newspapers and magazines, Smith became a seasoned writer and has made significant impact on the fields he has written for. Throughout the book, Smith labors to display the crucial role that cities play in the lives of people today. He begins the book by emphasizing an opinion that man’s greatest creation of all times is the “city”. The book is richly packed and colorful in the manner in which it dissects the significance of urban centers in the lives of populaces. He reminds the readers that more than half of the world’s population presently lives in cities. Unlike two hundred years ago when only 3% of the global population were city dwellers, the author notes that this portion is bound to increase by up to 75% of the entire population by 2050. By a look at the swelling figures of city dwellers, the author creates the magnitude of cities to human life before engaging in further escapades of the book. Smith tells of the experience of living in a city; the city life. The book purports universality of this experience. The book alludes to historians’ take that a town is always a town irrespective of the location, space and time. The first cities were constructed in the fertile lands between the rivers of Euphrates and Tigris. When the first builders of cities in the ancient Mesopotamia set out their experiment several ages ago, they created a man made environment that surpassed the apparent enclosure of bricks and mud. These builders were the architects of civilization. Their attempts and labors were the pioneers of essential skills that would be needed for the modern state-of-the–art cities such as Shanghai. They invented mathematics and writing, skills without which the current cities would not have existed. City dwellers created a novel way of being (Hatherley 82). They reinvented humanity. The pioneering cities saw the formation of revolutionary moral and social order that broke free from the existing rigid structures of the time. Tribes and clans were redefined out of the context of the rural world. The city air sets minds free. One can be whatever he wants to be in the city. City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age sets out an agenda to explore and celebrate what is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of mankind. Cities are sophisticated and interestingly complex technological environments that shape humanity as humanity shapes them. It is usual for one to forge the exhilarating first time moments in the city if they have spent their entire lives in cities. A German Poet by the name Heinrich Hein attested to the marvels of visiting a city for the first time in 1827 (Brook 30). He wrote, “I have seen the greatest wonder which the world can show to the astonished spirit; I have seen it, and am more astonished than ever – and still there remains fixed in my memory that stone forest of houses, and amid them the rushing stream of faces, of living human faces, with all their motley passions, all their terrible impulses of love, of hunger, and of hate – I am speaking of London” (Smith 93). The poet’s words are a powerful revelation of the potentiality and sheer concentrated city energy; overwhelming, intense, chaotic, exciting and sometimes scary. Exploration of the fascination of cities begins in the arrangement of the book. It is divided into eight sections’ Beyond the City, History, Arrival, Customs, Time Out, Money, Getting Around and Where to Stay. Each of the sections contains three to five essays. For instance, in customs, there are essays about graffiti, writing, street language, demonstrations and carnivals. Each of the essays contains other mini essays that explore a single aspect in detailed view. For instance, there is the mini essay under Demonstrations that explore and detail the events of Tahrir Square. After every section, there is a longer essay on some of the prominent urban features. These are typically spaces and structures that are common to all or most cities. The book explores the Central Station, the House of God, the Hotel, the Department Store, the City Wall, the Park, the Skyscraper and the Ruins. For many readers, the book provides an exciting and exhilarating adventure akin to the actual tour of the city. If one wishes, he can start reading the book from the first page all the way to the end and enjoy what he reads. The book provides the reader with an option to drift and wonder. Most readers appreciate the element of surprise and discovery that the author brings out in the book. They complement that reading the book is actually like a walk in the city. One can open the book anywhere and begin the read anywhere; just as one can start exploration of the city from anywhere; there are no defined routes to follow. From the House of God, one can strike out to Central Station or the Chinatown. Thereafter, he could grab some Street Food to devour in the Park before making his way to the Department Store. After an afternoon’s rest in the Department Store, the reveler could set out for an evening walk and explore the City and the Stage. Alternatively, he could explore through the Red Light Street and then head back to the Downtown apartments or the Hotel for the night. Just like in a real city, the books audiences can follow any number of pathways through the book. Many lovers of the book say that the City is the only real way to experience a walk in the city without being physically there. Smith does not address the issue of sustainability of today’s cities to the degree that a writer of his caliber needs to. One of the core issues that writers of issues related to cities need to address is sustainability of the cities. Architectural designs of the two states are bent down on ensuring that the cities and urban settings that develop in the region are eco-cities (Challenge of Environmental Policy Integration, 01). Eco-cities are designed with consideration of environmental impacts. People dedicated to minimizing the required inputs of food, energy and water inhabit them. The people are dedicated to minimizing the outputs of waste in the form of heat and air pollutants. The research center reiterates that a commitment to sustainable architecture in the Asian Pacific region encompasses all phases of the building from planning, building and restructuring (Bell 09). Smith should have campaigned for an eco industrial park that connects a number of organizations and firms to work together in decreasing environmental impact while improving their economic performance at the same time. Communities of firms accomplish the goal by collaboration in managing environmental issues and resources such as water, energy and materials. The components for building an eco-industrial park are natural systems, efficient materials, water flows, and efficient use of energy (Mumford 23). I find the rich text that reveals a great evidence of research in the publication fascinating. It authenticates the book and enhances my belief and enthusiasm in the revelations by Smith. It provides more than mere text about buildings, structures and people. The author’s allusion to different topics that affect humanity breaks the boredom of having to read through several pages of walls and bricks. Inclusion of quotes and images makes the reading more interesting and engaging. The concept of city could morph into never ending encyclopedia of wonders. The author makes a tremendous effort to compress so much that can be written about cities in manageable number of pages yet covers all the important facets of cities. Works Cited Bell, Daniel, and Avner De-Shalit. The Spirit of Cities: Why the Identity of a City Matters in a Global Age. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print. Brook, Daniel. A History of Future Cities. New York: W. W. Norton, 2013. Print. Challenge of Environmental Policy Integration: A Multi-Level Governance Perspective. , 2013. Internet resource. Hatherley, Owen. A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain. S.l.: Verso, 2014. The Environment Journal Mumford, Lewis. The City in History: Its Origins and Transformations, and Its Prospects. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961. Print. Smith, P D. City: A Guidebook for the Armchair Traveller. S.l.: Bloomsbury Pub. Plc, 2011. Print. Read More